Dan Wilson on His Musical Cartoons

Ever since I was a kid, I made cartoons and drawings to amuse my friends and myself. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my musical life and the various funny aspects of it, and I’ve started to make drawings and cartoons about that. This is a selection of some of those pictures from the past couple of months.

Mistakes

Dan Wilson

In a creative process like songwriting or recording, sometimes the mistaken note is the coolest note you played. Being agnostic towards mistakes and intentions is a great way to generate more ideas. “Sure, of course I intended that!”

No Thought Experiments

Dan Wilson

One of the most counterproductive habits I encounter in the studio or in writing sessions is the tendency to “try ideas in one’s mind.” Music is a physical phenomenon, you won’t know an idea is good or bad until you actually make the sound and listen to it.

Stop Planning and Get Into the Pool

Dan Wilson

Show people your music, even if you don’t think you’re ready. Don’t wait for some magical readiness to descend upon you. You’re ready now.

What Would Tom Petty Do?

Dan Wilson

Seriously. I use this test all the time while writing songs. WWTPD?

In Real Life

Dan Wilson

I was doing a country songwriting session in Nashville, and one of my collaborators used a great phrase to critique a line someone suggested: “That sounds like poetry-talk.” Sometimes artists use phrases that sounds like “songwriting talk” in their songs. “A winter’s day,” “body rockin’,” “leave my love on the shelf.” I prefer to leave those phrases out of my songs.